Best Fishing Reels For Beginners
Spinner Reel
In this topic we are going to take a deeper look into Reels, specifically ( Spinner Reels) there are many types of Reels out there which we may touch on in a different post but for now we are going to focus more on the spinning Reel as I like to think that if you are just starting out in your fishing journey then this is the Reel that you probably had pictured in your mind. Below is a list of the other types of fishing Reels you may come across but as mentioned we can get into them at a later date.
- Spincast
- Baitcasting
- Trolling
- Fly
Understanding Your Reel
Spool
You can see a picture of the Spool and the line information print on it, always use this as your guide when buying line for your reel most reels with have all the relevant information on that you need in regard to this subject.
When I first started out and bought my first Reel, this been a (Shimano ST FB 2500 ) I did not realize that on the spool component of the reel you will see that there are some markings such as (DIA.mm-m) this stands for line diameter in millimeters to the amount of meters you can fit on your spool, this is some basic but vital information to consider when buying your first Reel.
The reason I bring this up is that I once took a trip Fishing Republic for some new line for my 2500 Reel, I picked up some 0.35mm line wanting to fill the spool but little did I know that by adding this thicker line to my spool on a 2500 reel it would dramatically shorten the amount of distance in meters than I could fit on the spool plus it was far to thick for the Reel regardless of this.
When adding the thicker line to your reel it can also effect your casting distance, if distance is what you like to go for, but I have noticed that Once my own reel was loaded up with some sufficient sized line 0.25mm or below my casting distance was definitely better and I would say it helped somewhat with my accuracy also having the thinner line spooled.
Bait-runner/Free-Spool
Bait-runner system
You may hear the term baitrunner or freespool when looking for Reels, this is more of an added function that basically allows the fish to run with the bait before the hook is set properly within its mouth hence the name baitrunner, how this works is you set the toggle at the rear of the reel shown in the picture above to the desired tension you would like, “Less” meaning that the line will be easier to pull away from the spool and “more” will make the line harder to pull from the spool. The baitrunner allows you to dictate how much line the fish takes giving you more control of the fish if its trying to take you into snaggy area of the lake for instance.
The “Drag on” switch will activate the baitrunner system and when switched to “Free-spool” this will then release the baitrunner system if needed when playing fish. You can also use the drag adjustment which most reels have on the top of the spool its self which will have a similar effect to the baitrunner system but the baitrunner is just a faster more convenient way to adjust drag when setting up and when getting ready to play a fish. Some Anglers will opt for Reels without the baitrunner system but I personally like the feature and so do many fisherman.
Reels with the baitrunner system will tend to be somewhat more expensive but you can still find one within a reasonable price range so I would consider it as an option because as a beginner it aided me nicely when I first started out. Remember this feature is NOT mandatory for your first reel just a solid recommendation on my part.
Reel Size
In a previous post I have touched on this subject but I will try to go into some more detail here for further clarification.
When choosing a Reel you need to take into mind the type of fishing you are looking to take up, for example if you are looking to jump straight into the Carp Fishing scene then a larger reel would be recommended, i.e 5000+ sized reel. Choosing a Reel smaller than this does not mean that you cannot catch decent sized fish but if you are looking to catch fish well over the 25lbs plus mark then I would head for the bigger sized Reels
The bigger the Reel would generally mean you can fit more heavy duty line on the spool making it better for long distance fishing on bigger venues and when you are aiming to catch larger species given you have the appropriate kit to match, but realistically when you are starting out 9/10 you are not going to need a reel capacity of more than 150-200yds especially if you are spending more time at the smaller commercial venues.
The size of the Reel will also play apart when playing a fish, if you have hooked a big fish and you only have a small Reel then it will be noticeably harder to play the fish and reel it in, also landing the fish but try not to get to caught up on the Reel size too much as I’m very confident that if you were to choose a 2500-3500 sized reel to start off with then this would be ample for general coarse fishing at most venues and by (general) I mean fishing for any species really and not been too specific. I’ve had no problems with mine up to now but as I’m looking to get into the Carp Fishing myself next year my next set of Reels will be a lot bigger.
Key Takeaway’s
Now that you have some more information about a potential starter Reel try to remember the following…
- Bigger is NOT always better when it comes to Reels
- Decide on the type of fishing you would like to start with
- Pair your reel correctly with your Rod (more on this here)
Please take note of the above statements when looking for Reels as I believe these will help but as always if you are reading this and you have a comment you would like to leave preferably questions or further information that you feel is relative to the topic and will help people gain more understanding then do not hesitate to leave one. Again thank you for reading and hope to see you again soon.
martin@lakeamenity.com
